Writing for Foreign Policy, journalist and analyst Stephen Cook noted that “Turkey doubts that NATO members will defend it if it is attacked,” explaining that “the Turks are skeptical of Article 5 of Turkey’s collective defense treaty.” “In my opinion, no Turk believes that NATO members will defend Turkey if attacked, citing European controversy over the PKK and US support for the YPG in Syria.”

He pointed out that disagreements in relations between Turkey and NATO are also related to Ankara’s unwillingness to join in the condemnation of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. He stressed that “Turkish public opinion mainly blames NATO for the current conflict in Ukraine, and this indicates distrust of the alliance.”

In accordance with the principle of collective defense, enshrined in Article V of the Washington Treaty, NATO’s founding treaty, aggression against one or more NATO member states is considered an attack on the entire military-political bloc. And NATO collective defense means were used only once, after the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.